too old for rather than face possible rejection. Our youth - oriented, throw - away culture sees
little value in older people. In writer Lilian Hellman' s words, they have "the wisdom that comes
with age that we can't make use of."
Unemployment and economic need for work is higher among older women, especially minorities, than among younger white women. A national council reports these findings: Though
unemployed longer when seeking work, older women job - hunt harder, hold a job longer with
less absenteeism (缺勤), perform as well or better, are more reliable, and are more willing to
learn than men or younger women. Yet many older women earn poor pay and face a future of
poverty in their retirement years. When "sexism meets ageism, poverty is no longer on the
doorstep - it moves in," according to Tish Sommers, director of a special study on older women
for the National Organization for Women.
Yet a 1981 report on the White Hosuse Conference on Aging shows that as a group, older
Americans are the "wealthiest, best fed, best housed, healthiest, most self- reliant older population in our history. "This statement is small comfort to those living below the poverty line, but
it does explode some of the old traditional beliefs and fears. Opportunities for moving in and up
in a large company may shrink but many older people begin successful small businesses, volunteer in satisfying activities, and stay active for many years. They have few role models because in previous generations the life span was much shorter and expectations of life were fewer. They are ploughing new ground.
Employers are beginning to recognize that the mature person can bring a great deal of stability and responsibility to a position. One doesn't lose ability and experience on the eve of one'
s 65th or 70th birthday any more than one grows up instantly at age 21.
26. After the age of 40, _______
A) most workers are tired of their present jobs
B) many workers tend to stick to their present jobs
C) people find their jobs more rewarding than before
D) people still wish to hunt for more suitable jobs
27. From Heilman' s remark, we can see that
A) full use has been made of the wisdom of older people
B) the wisdom of older people is not valued by American society
C) older people are no less intelligent than young people
D) the wisdom of older people is of great value to American society
28. Tish Sommers argues that
A) older women find it hard to escape poverty
B) older women usually perform better in their jobs
C) the major cause of the poverty of older women is sexism
D) more people have come to believe in sexism and ageism
29. According to the third paragraph, it can be seen that older Americans
A) have more job opportunities than young people
B) live below the poverty line
C) have new opportunities to remain active in society
D) no longer believe in the promise of a happy life upon retirement
30. It can Be concluded from the passage that the writer
A) calls attention to the living conditions of older Americans
B) believes that the valus of older people is gaining increasing recognition
C) attempts to justify the youth - oriented, throw - away culture of the United States
D) argues people should not retire at the age of 65 or 70
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal. Nothing can exceed the joy
of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of in-
formation you come across accidentally- or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of informa-
tion or working through a problem. Such personal encounters are the "payoff"in education. A
teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it - but no teacher can make the
excitement or the joy happen. That's up to you.
A reaearch paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times. Preparing the research paper is an active and individual process, and ideal learning process. It provides a stucture within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are Basic to education. But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what y
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